Monday

Bucks County has sold the former Lower Makefield home of a convicted child pornographer and will use a portion of the proceeds to help children victimized by such crimes.

Thomas Holliday forfeited his home to the county in January, though a relatively new state law would have given the government its first opportunity to seize a property used to commit a sex crime.

Last year, Holliday, 82, was found guilty of 233 criminal counts, including aggravated indecent assault and charges related to producing and possessing child pornography. He was initially sentenced in May of 2014 but that sentence of 935 to 1,870 years was reconsidered and reduced a month later. He’s now serving 50 to 100 years in a state prison but appealing his conviction.

The statute enacted in October specifies that individuals convicted of rape, sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse may be required to forfeit their property, Buck County Chief of Prosecution Matthew Weintraub said.

Holliday’s Yardley property on Edgewood Road sold last week for just under $400,000, Weintraub said. It had been empty since Holliday’s arrest last year and had fallen into disrepair. Pipes were broken and there was graffiti on the walls. The property was rehabbed prior going on the market.

“We did all the repairs ahead of time,” Weintraub said.

Because of the statute, Weintraub said the county could have fought in court, and won, to seize the home. But Holliday agreed to a forfeiture when told that part of the proceeds from the sale would be put into a trust for a family member’s medical care, Weintraub said.

“That’s the only reason I agreed to give his family anything,” he added.

According to court documents, Holliday, a retired composer, began abusing a girl in 2009, when she was 14.

Judge Albert Cepparulo said Holliday made the girl his “sexual slave,” and that over a four-year period, Holliday had collected 71 compact discs on which were stored videos and still photos of himself and the girl.

According to Weintraub, the county plans to divide the proceeds as follows: $50,000 will be put in trust for the crime victim, $25,000 will be put in trust for Holliday’s child with medical issues and $233,056 (minus taxes and fees) will be delivered to the Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) to support the Bucks County Children’s Advocacy Center, which helps victims of sexual abuse.

“We wanted to make something positive out of a horrific negative,” said Weintraub.

Bucks County routinely obtains various property used in drug-related crimes, but this may be the first time the county has taken possession of a property used in the commission of a sex crime.

“Not only have I never done it, I never heard of it,” Weintraub said. “This way, everybody wins.”

Hayden Mitman: 215-630-5691;

email: hmitman@calkins.com;

Twitter: @haydenmitman

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